Cylinder cutoff control apparatus of internal combustion engine

Abstract

A cylinder cutoff control apparatus of an engine initiates a cylinder cutoff mode only when two conditions, namely a low load condition such as a vehicle cruising condition and an intake valve closure timing controlled to a given timing value before a bottom dead center, are both satisfied. A fuel cutoff mode is executed prior to the cylinder cutoff mode. During a transition to the cylinder cutoff mode, the control apparatus holds an intake valve open timing at a given timing value substantially corresponding to a top dead center, simultaneously with reducing an intake valve lift amount of each intake valve, subjected to cylinder cutoff control, to a zero lift. Immediately when the intake valve lift amount is reduced to below a lift threshold value, an exhaust valve lift amount of each exhaust valve, subjected to the cylinder cutoff control, is controlled to a zero lift.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to an internal-combustion-engine cylinder cutoff control apparatus capable of stopping or cutting off, depending on engine / vehicle operating conditions, a first group of engine cylinders, while a second group of engine cylinders are working, and specifically to the improvement of a technique for electronically controlling mode-switching between (i) a full cylinder operating mode (an all-cylinder operating mode or an all-cylinder active mode) where all of engine cylinders are working and (ii) a partly-inactive cylinder operating mode (a cylinder-in-part operating mode or a cylinder cutoff mode) where the first group of cylinders are inactive and the second group of cylinders are active.BACKGROUND ART[0002]In recent years, there have been proposed and developed various engine cylinder cutoff control technologies. One such engine cylinder cutoff control device has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 10-82334 (...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]Thereafter, a transition from the fuel cutoff mode (see FIG. 16B) to the cylinder cutoff mode (see FIG. 16C) occurs. As can be seen from two different P-V diagrams (a) and (b) in FIG. 16C, there are two different cases, namely the first case indicated by the P-V diagram (a) and the second case indicated by the P-V diagram (b). The first P-V diagram (a) shown in FIG. 16C corresponds to a case where intake valves included in the first group of cylinders, subjected to cylinder cutoff control, are shifted to their valve shutdown states before shifting exhaust valves included in the first group of cylinders to their valve shutdown states. The second P-V diagram (b) shown in FIG. 16C corresponds to a case where exhaust valves included in the first group of cylinders, subjected to cylinder cutoff control, are shifted to their valve shutdown states before shifting intake valves included in the first group of cylinders to their valve shutdown states. In FIG. 16C, the first P-V characteristic diagram (a) is created during a so-called “intake-valve-advance / exhaust-valve-retard cylinder cutoff mode” (simply, an “intake-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode”). On the other hand, in FIG. 16C, the second P-V characteristic diagram (b) is created during a so-called “exhaust-valve-advance / intake-valve-retard cylinder cutoff mode” (simply, an “exhaust-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode”). In both of the intake-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode and the exhaust-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode, fresh air is confined in the inactive cylinder, and additionally only two strokes, that is, compression stroke from BDC to TDC and expansion stroke from TDC to BDC are repeatedly executed. Thus, there is a less generation of gas exchange loss in either the intake-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode (the P-V characteristic diagram (a) in FIG. 16C) or the exhaust-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode (the P-V characteristic diagram (b) in FIG. 16C).

[0011]As set forth above, during the intake-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode (see the P-V characteristic diagram (a) in FIG. 16C) only the compression and expansion strokes of the piston are repeatedly executed, and thus there is a less generation of gas exchange loss.

[0012]In a similar manner to the intake-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode, in the exhaust-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode (see the P-V characteristic diagram (b) in FIG. 16C) there is a less generation of gas exchange loss, since only the compression and expansion strokes of the piston are repeatedly executed, as hereunder described.

[0014]As discussed above, in either the intake-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode (the P-V characteristic diagram (a) in FIG. 16C) or the exhaust-valve-advance cylinder cutoff mode (the P-V characteristic diagram (b) in FIG. 16C) there is a less minus indicated work of the engine, thereby resulting in an undesirably reduced engine braking effect. Only a slight engine braking effect corresponding to an internal friction of the engine exists. Therefore, after a transition from the fuel cutoff mode (see FIG. 16B) to the cylinder cutoff mode (see FIG. 16C), there is an increased tendency for the engine braking effect to be greatly reduced. This means a poor engine braking effect, thus causing an unnatural feeling that the driver experiences an undesirably small engine braking torque.

[0015]Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a cylinder cutoff control apparatus of an internal combustion engine capable of effectively suppressing any unnatural feeling that the driver experiences improper engine braking effects such as an uncomfortable engine braking shock or a poor engine braking effect in a transient state from fuel cutoff to cylinder cutoff, and ensuring a better engine braking feel and smooth engine-braking torque reduction even during the fuel-cutoff-to-cylinder-cutoff transition.

Problems solved by technology

As a result, the major part of combustion work is merely used to compensate for the gas exchange loss, and therefore the combustion work cannot be converted into or used as an effective work.

This causes a deterioration in fuel economy, in other words, an increased fuel consumption rate.

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